Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose: The more things change, the more they stay the same. In this, our 2011 edition of our Annual Restaurant Issue, we see many regulars on our GAYOT.com Top 40 Restaurant list that keep showing up year in and year out. While trends come and go, and tastes change, these top toques keep providing their customers not just with fine food but with top-quality overall dining experiences. We also salute the newcomers who joined the exclusive list for the first time, as well as our winners in other categories. We understand that this country's culinary culture is multifaceted and vast, but we hope our team of local writers and editors from Hawaii to Maine has assembled a true reflection of the American dining landscape from a well-founded, experienced, professional perspective.

Pies are giving cupcakes a run for their money, high-end foragers are seeking the holy grail of exotic wild foods like lichen and lily buds, and bartenders are amping up handcrafted cocktails with garden herbs and vinegar syrups. Learn more about what we can expect in the world of food for 2011.

From coast to coast, we salute the 40 restaurateurs and chefs that consistently deliver a stellar dining experience. You'll find many familiar faces who make our list year after year — which makes it all the more impressive for the newcomers who find themselves in this exclusive company!

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If you're always looking for the latest and greatest, then be the first of your friends to dine at these new trendsetting restaurants. The key theme this year is local: menus reflect local cuisine, ingredients are sourced locally — even the architecture and décor are in the local style.

Besides fine dining, we want to help you find affordable dining. There's no need to stay home and eat ramen when you can pay for a delicious meal with only the change from under your couch cushions. We've got everything from pho to tofu, tacos to tapas, pasta to pancakes. And with food this good at prices this low, you can afford to take a friend, too.

Although a quality piece of meat is relatively easy to prepare, most homes don't have ovens hot enough to make a perfect steak. Check out our ten best spots for meaty treats, which include offerings from top toques and even a burlesque-themed steakhouse.

Among the must-have amenities for discerning travelers, the signature hotel restaurant helmed by a celeb chef — Michel Richard, Guy Savoy and Joël Robuchon — ranks high. We've narrowed down the nation's top options to present to you the ten best.

Rarely do Americans say, "Let's eat Egyptian tonight," but more and more of them are lining up at this Cairo-born über chef's restaurants. At 42-years-old, Mina has left an indelible mark on the American gastronomic landscape. With his trademark grand, elegant and visionary concepts, Mina has crafted a culinary empire, and his star is still on the ascent!

These talented chefs worked hard, studied and trained with top toques, and now they're cooking some of the best food in the nation despite being born less than 30 years ago. We love what they're doing now and we can't wait to see what they'll be doing in twenty years' time. Is it just a coincidence that two of them have "Baker" in their names?

Our insider picks each offer a unique adventure that only their respective cities can produce. From the see-and-be-seen scene at The Bazaar in Beverly Hills to Cajun cuisine at K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen in New Orleans, these ten spots offer good food and good times with local flavor.